Whether criminal action will be taken concerning the state auditor’s findings on inappropriate financial dealings by former Tarboro town employees is still not known as investigation into the matter continues.

A report from State Auditor Beth Wood released in late July leveled accusations of financial misconduct against former Tarboro Town Manager Sam Noble, former Electric Department Director and current Mayor Rick Page and former Finance Department clerk Brenda Page.

Wood’s report alleged that more than $550,000 worth of inappropriate financial activities – ranging from questionable purchases and expense reimbursements to insurance payments to potentially illegal unemployment benefits – had taken place during he final five years of Noble’s tenure as town manager. (Source: Read more)

I hope and pray that this letter find you all in the best of health and spirit.

I am penning this Open Letter hoping that it would help each of you move your and our town forward.

As most of you already know, Tarboro has been had, tricked and bamboozled.

I am not saying this to make mockery, I say it because it is the truth and sometimes the truth hurt. And I too along with many of you were hurt as you read what has been done to you, the citizens of Tarboro. First I will start by saying although everyone is innocent until proving guilty, several things are factual and that those things done caused Tarboro to lose revenue and many employees to lose their jobs and livelihood. Let me be clearer for some. As a former council member, who swore that I would work on behave and in the best interest of all those who voted for me and those who didn’t, I feel I may have let you down some. I say this because I was not the good steward that you elected me to be. But I must share that I did my best with what was provided to me. I am as upset as many of you, but since I am not there in Tarboro I can only do what I can. And what I can do is share with you that during my time on council I had suspicions of things going on like those listed in the state report. Many things I suspected myself, but I had no proof and the things that was told to me by others was held in confidentiality because they were afraid of retribution. One major thing that I would mention is that I did try a move, and that was to be the lone "Nay" voter against the past town manager pay raises and monthly vehicle allowance. Both which I didn’t believe was warranted or deserving.

To fast forward I would ask that each of you look at what has happened and try to picture this. On the advice of the past town manager we, the council were advised to cut jobs, reduce suggested raises and cut some programs. Before anyone say anything we were going by data that was provided to us, from the former town manager. But from the audit report a lot more data was not provided to us, by the former town manager, or at least not to me.

What has happened to you Tarboro is NO SMALL MATTER. Lives were effected and affected due to things listed in this report. Everything in the report, of only five years, is a shame and should be dealt with quickly. Tarboro If I was there I would be on the frontline pushing for the former town manager AND former mayor, former and recurrent council members to step up and share what they know of these five years and longer.

As for the current Mayor I would ask him to step down or to remove himself until this matter has "cleared" him of any wrong doing or I would seek out another avenue to have him removed. Tarboro I would also see if another audit could go further back. Tarboro your whole town has lost, not just individuals. Fact, again much of the money documented could have been used for much needed raises, jobs, programs or the reserves, something that is going down each year I think?

Tarboro this isn’t just the State, Edgecombe County, the IRS, or the NC employment commission’s fight, It is your fight! first and foremost!! You must also hold the current council accountable, you must demand that they represent each of you. You voted for them to lookout for you and your best interest. You, Tarboro, Must Tell Them That THEY MUST TAKE THE LEAD concerning the current mayor and his involvement. You Can’t Take A Chance With Him for the next couple of years Or can you? I think Your Odds would be better in Las Vegas!!!

Lastly, I would like to thank the former Finance Director, Tarboro you lost a good one. (By the way I haven’t read or heard much about the one that served years under the past town manager). Anyway, I continue thank Councilwoman Mrs. Faye Jordan for Serving the Citizen First, the Mayor Pro Tem Councilman Taro Knight, two other nameless council members, the current Town Manager, Chief of Police and other department heads and all town employees. None of you deserve this. Be Encouraged!

Noting the issue was a legal matter, Noble referred questions about the report to his attorney Al Bell of Raleigh.

“We were disappointed by the report,” Bell said Tuesday. “We don’t believe the allegations are well founded. They appear to be based on a set of misconceptions – best way to put it – calculated to raise an emotional response more than an objective assessment of the facts.

“I am confident that when the actual facts are revealed, it will show (Noble) acted appropriately in his duties as town manager.”

Bell said although he had yet to review the entire report, he and his client are looking forward to the additional investigation of the matter by the State Bureau of Investigation.

I remember back in 2012 when the Local Government Commission presented a series of investigative reports on the Town of Princeville and everybody thought that was something. Hell the Princeville Ignant 3 former Mayor Priscilla Everette-Oates, former Mayor Pro-tem Isabelle Purvis-Andrews and former Commissioner Calvin Sherrod did some damage to the town. However it was the former Mayor Everette-Oates who the report names as spending money without proper documentation. I feel the worst damage was not particularly the money but how the Princeville 3 voted to keep Princeville right where they were and did not vote to move the town forward. For me that was much worse than the $8,000 I believe is in question now that Mayor Everette-Oates has not accounted for, but it is pending in the courts. She can’t put it off too many more times.

Now I am waiting for the report to come out about the investigation with the Town of Tarboro former Town Manager Sam Nobles. I know what I read on the Daily Southerner website last year when the Town of Tarboro hired a private investigator to investigate Nobles that report looked much worse. I believe the LGC report will probably be more in depth than the private investigator’s report.

I have been told the report was suppose to become public 10 days from a previous meeting so that should be within the next couple of days.

TARBORO — Constituents of Town of Tarboro Ward 6 have been without representation in half of the town’s meetings since November 2010. Out of 14 meetings, Ward 6 Councilman Melvin Muhammad was absent seven times including five of the last seven meetings. (More)

Response: I have been hearing that Muhammad had missed some meetings didn’t know how many. Is there anything in the policies about how many meetings a council person can miss? I do not attend the meetings because it is on the same night of the Edgecombe County Public Schools board meeting. C. Dancy II – The Political Agitator

First of all I don’t give a damn if there is a “Black Family Day” held in Tarboro Edgecombe County where racism is alive and well. I also don’t give a damn if there is a “White Family Day,” or other “Family Day” held in Tarboro but if it was, it would be my decision to choose whether I want to attend.

The Tarboro Town Commons has had things held there such as the Confederate Soldiers Re-enactment and other things that I am quite sure that the majority of black folks didn’t give a damn about the events but their tax dollars were used. However I bet some blacks probably attended each of those events. I didn’t attend because I was not interested. But these Ignant Racist White Folks continue to talk about their tax dollars paying for the “Black Family Day” as if black folks do not pay taxes.

I found it right interesting there were little to no comments about “Black Family Day” on the Tarboro 27886 Facebook page since Hurricane Irene hit The Commons. But I figured the discussion was going on behind the scenes and I see it was after visiting the Tarboro 27886 Facebook page today. I visited it to see what they were saying since “Black Family Day” has been moved to Indian Lake. There was a special meeting held today at the Town Hall in regards to the event. I understand that atleast one councilman wanted the event postponed.

Although Joyce Jefferson a Tarboro 27886 Facebook page member has made several other comments not in favor of the “Black Family Day” she hit the nail on the head with the following statement. But like I have said before, The co-sponsors of the “Black Family Day” had the right to ask to have the event on The Common since the policies and procedures allowed it.

Joyce Jefferson I don’t think the Town Common should be used by any of us. We have two other areas that are more suitable for human use. Each area has picnic tables and restrooms facilities. I’m talking about Indian Lake and Braswell Center.

However Joyce Jefferson only mentioned the the 2 places above that are on the white side of town and didn’t mention the Ray Center/Clark Park that is on the black side of town. Do the Ray Center/Clark Park get the same attention as the Braswell Center? Go figure?

Until the policies and procedures are changed then the Town of Tarboro will have to honor just about any reasonable request from citizens and organizations to have events. But since the Ignant Racist White Folks are continuing to speak I bet there will be a change.